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Welfare Implications of Personalized Pricing in Competitive Platform Markets: The Role of Network Effects

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  • Qiuyu Lu
  • Noriaki Matsushima
  • Shiva Shekhar

Abstract

This study explores the welfare impact of personalized pricing for consumers in a duopolistic two-sided market, with consumers single-homing and developers affiliating with a platform according to their outside option. Personalized pricing, which is private in nature, cannot influence expectations regarding the network sizes, inducing the platforms to offer lower participation fees for developers. Those lower fees increase network benefits for consumers, allowing the platforms to exploit these benefits through personalized pricing. Personalized prices are higher when the network value for developers is high, benefiting competing platforms at the expense of consumers. These findings offer policy insights on personalized pricing.

Suggested Citation

  • Qiuyu Lu & Noriaki Matsushima & Shiva Shekhar, 2024. "Welfare Implications of Personalized Pricing in Competitive Platform Markets: The Role of Network Effects," CESifo Working Paper Series 10994, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_10994
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Noriaki Matsushima & Mark J. Tremblay, 2024. "Network compatibility and incumbent pricing regimes," ISER Discussion Paper 1265, Institute of Social and Economic Research, The University of Osaka.

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    JEL classification:

    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection

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